Its staff of approximatewy 600 empwoyees incwudes wawyers, economists, reference wibrarians, and sociaw, naturaw, and physicaw scientists.[4] In fiscaw year 2016, CRS was appropriated a budget of roughwy $106.9 miwwion by Congress.[1]

CRS is joined by two major congressionaw support agencies. The Congressionaw Budget Office provides Congress wif budget-rewated information, reports on fiscaw, budgetary, and programmatic issues, and anawyses of budget powicy options, costs, and effects. The Government Accountabiwity Office assists Congress in reviewing and monitoring de activities of government by conducting independent audits, investigations, and evawuations of federaw programs. Cowwectivewy, de dree agencies empwoy more dan 4,000 peopwe.[4]

Contents

In 1914, Senator Robert La Fowwette Sr. and Representative John M. Newson, bof of Wisconsin, promoted de incwusion in de wegiswative, executive, and judiciaw appropriations act of a provision directing de estabwishment of a speciaw reference unit widin de Library of Congress.[5] Buiwding upon a concept devewoped by de New York State Library in 1890, and de Wisconsin Legiswative Reference Library in 1901, dey were motivated by Progressive era ideas about de importance of de acqwisition of knowwedge for an informed and independent wegiswature.[4] The move awso refwected de expanding rowe of de wibrarian and de professionawization of de profession, uh-hah-hah-hah.[4] The new department was charged wif responding to congressionaw reqwests for information, uh-hah-hah-hah.[4] The wegiswation audorized de Librarian of Congress, Herbert Putnam, to “empwoy competent persons to prepare such indexes, digests, and compiwations of waws as may be reqwired for Congress and oder officiaw use...” (The intent behind de creation of de agency can be derived from U.S. Senate, Committee on de Library, Legiswative Drafting Bureau and Reference Division, 62d Cong., 3d sess., 1913, S. Rept.1271.)

Renamed de Legiswative Reference Service and given a permanent audorization wif de Legiswative Reorganization Act of 1946,[6] it assisted Congress primariwy by providing facts and pubwications and by transmitting research and anawysis done wargewy by oder government agencies, private organizations, and individuaw schowars.[4]

The Library of Congress, de home of CRS, had experimented during de 1940s wif unrestricted pubwication Pubwic Affairs Buwwetins, which were produced by staff of de Legiswative Reference Service, and devoted to various pubwic powicy issues. They were promoted by Archibawd MacLeish, de Librarian of Congress, and, among oder topics, addressed timewy powicy issues, such as American nationaw defense. About 100 Pubwic Affairs Buwwetins were generated[7] before congressionaw appropriators ended deir production in 1951.[8]

The renaming under de Legiswative Reorganization Act of 1970 refwected de service's changing mission:[4] This wegiswation directed CRS to devote more of its efforts and increased resources to doing research and anawysis dat assists Congress in direct support of de wegiswative process.[9]

When de Congressionaw Research Service Review was waunched in 1980, it continued for a wittwe more dan a decade before congressionaw appropriators, once again, invoked fiscaw cwosure. The Review, which was pubwished ten times a year and avaiwabwe to de pubwic by subscription, offered originaw anawyticaw articwes, summaries highwighting CRS research products, and oder kinds of assistance to de congressionaw community.[7]

As inqwiries increased from 400,000 qwestions per year in 1980 to 598,000 in 2000, CRS sought to prepare itsewf for future chawwenges, initiating an organizationaw reawignment in 1999. The reawignment, which has reqwired extensive rewocation of staff and de design of more efficient workstations, was intended to promote improved communication widin CRS and increase de service's abiwity to focus on wegiswative dewiberations of Congress by appwying its muwtidiscipwinary expertise to pubwic powicy issues in user-friendwy, accessibwe formats when Congress needs assistance.[10]

CRS offers Congress research and anawysis on aww current and emerging issues of nationaw powicy.[4]
CRS offers timewy and confidentiaw assistance to aww Members and committees dat reqwest it, wimited onwy by CRS’s resources and de reqwirements for bawance, nonpartisanship and accuracy.[4]

CRS makes no wegiswative or oder powicy recommendations to Congress; its responsibiwity is to ensure dat Members of de House and Senate have avaiwabwe de best possibwe information and anawysis on which to base de powicy decisions de American peopwe have ewected dem to make.[4] In aww its work, CRS anawysts are governed by reqwirements for confidentiawity, timewiness, accuracy, objectivity, bawance, and nonpartisanship.

CRS services are not wimited to dose dat rewate directwy to enacting new waws. For exampwe, CRS attempts to assess emerging issues and devewoping probwems so dat it wiww be prepared to assist de Congress if and when it becomes necessary. Awdough it rarewy conducts fiewd research, CRS assists committees in oder aspects of deir study and oversight responsibiwities. In addition, it offers numerous courses, incwuding wegaw research seminars and institutes on de wegiswative process, de budget processes, and de work of district and state staff. At de beginning of each Congress, CRS awso provides an orientation seminar for new Members.[4]

CRS does not conduct research on sitting Members or wiving former Members of Congress, unwess granted specific permission by dat Member or if dat Member is nominated by de President for anoder office.[4]

CRS is now divided into six interdiscipwinary research divisions, each of which is furder divided into subject speciawist sections. The six divisions are: American Law; Domestic Sociaw Powicy; Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade; Government and Finance; Knowwedge Services; and Resources, Science and Industry.[11]

The six research divisions are supported in deir work by five “infrastructure” offices: Finance and Administration, Information Management and Technowogy, Counsewor to de Director, Congressionaw Information and Pubwishing, and Workforce Management and Devewopment.[12]

Responses to Congressionaw reqwests take de form of reports, memoranda, customized briefings, seminars, videotaped presentations, information obtained from automated databases, and consuwtations in person and by tewephone.[4]

CRS "supports de Members, committees, and weaders of de House and Senate at aww stages of de wegiswative process":[4]

Ideas for wegiswation. A 2008 CRS report detaiws how de service can assist wegiswators in evawuating de need for wegiswation:

At de prewiminary stage, members may ask CRS to provide background information and anawysis on issues and events so dey can better understand de existing situation and den assess wheder dere is a probwem reqwiring a wegiswative remedy. This assistance may be a summary and expwanation of de scientific evidence on a technicawwy compwex matter, for exampwe, or it may be a cowwection of newspaper and journaw articwes discussing an issue from different perspectives, or a comparative anawysis of severaw expwanations dat have been offered to account for a generawwy recognized probwem. CRS awso identifies nationaw and internationaw experts wif whom Members and staff may consuwt about whatever issues concern dem and sponsors programs at which Members meet wif experts to discuss issues of broad interest to Congress.[4]

Anawyzing a biww. The same 2008 report awso cwarifies de various ways in which de service furder supports de work of wegiswators once a biww has been introduced:

If a Member decides to introduce a biww, CRS anawysts can assist de wegiswator in cwarifying de purposes of de biww, identifying issues it may address, defining awternative ways for deawing wif dem, evawuating de possibwe advantages and disadvantages of each awternative, devewoping information and arguments to support de biww, and anticipating possibwe criticisms of de biww and responses to dem. Awdough CRS does not draft biwws, resowutions, and amendments, its anawysts may join staff consuwting wif de professionaw draftsman widin each chamber’s Office of de Legiswative Counsew as dey transwate de Member’s powicy decisions into formaw wegiswative wanguage. Members and committees awso can reqwest CRS to hewp dem assess and compare wegiswative proposaws, incwuding competing biwws introduced by Members and proposaws presented by executive branch officiaws, private citizens and organizations. CRS can assess de intent, scope, and wimits, of de various proposaws.[4]

The report goes on:

During committee and fwoor consideration, CRS can assist Representatives and Senators in severaw different ways, in addition to providing background information to assist Members in understanding de issues a biww addresses. CRS attorneys can hewp cwarify wegaw effects de biww may have. CRS powicy anawysts can work wif Members in deciding wheder to propose amendments and den in making certain dat deir amendments are designed and phrased to achieve de desired resuwts. CRS awso can hewp Members prepare for de debate by providing data and oder information dat dey can use to support de positions dey have decided to take.[4]

Hearings. When a subcommittee sewects a biww (or severaw biwws on de same subject) for serious attention, it usuawwy begins by conducting pubwic hearings on one or more days at which executive branch officiaws, oder Members of Congress, representatives of private organizations, and even individuaw citizens present deir views on de biww’s merits. CRS anawysts can assist in dis process by providing background information and reports, presenting a prewiminary briefing to Members or staff, identifying potentiaw witnesses, and suggesting qwestions dat Members may consider asking de witnesses.

Subcommittee or committee votes. After de hearings on a biww, de subcommittee or committee meets to debate and vote on amendments to it. If reqwested, CRS staff may attend dese meetings to serve as a nonpartisan source of expert information avaiwabwe to aww Members. If de subcommittee and den de fuww committee concwude dat new wegiswation is needed, dey report a biww to de House or Senate for aww its Members to consider. The committee awso submits a written report dat expwains de background for its decision, anawyzes de purposes and effects of each major provision of de biww, and incwudes oder information, such as predictions about de cost of impwementing it, dat hewp oder Members decide wheder dey shouwd support de biww. CRS speciawists may assist de committee’s staff in preparing some sections of dis report, awdough cost estimates are devewoped by de Congressionaw Budget Office.

Parwiamentary procedure. CRS staff can cwarify de wegiswative procedures of de House and Senate, assisting Members and staff in understanding de effects of dese procedures and how Members can use de procedures to promote deir own wegiswative goaws.

Conference committees. CRS anawysts can contribute to dis wast stage of de wegiswative process by hewping identify de issues to be resowved, by cwarifying and comparing de positions of de two houses on each issue, and by identifying different ways in which de wegiswative disagreements couwd be resowved.

Biww Summaries. Since 1935 de Legiswative Anawysis and Information Section (formerwy "Biww Digest") of CRS has had statutory responsibiwity for preparation of audoritative, objective, nonpartisan summaries of introduced pubwic biwws and resowutions and maintenance of historicaw wegiswative information, uh-hah-hah-hah. Detaiwed revised summaries are written to refwect changes made in de course of de wegiswative process. This CRS office awso prepares titwes, biww rewationships, subject terms, and Congressionaw Record citations for debates, fuww texts of measures, and Member introductory remarks. The biww summaries are reweased to de pubwic via THOMAS, de Library of Congress's onwine database.[13]

Constitution Annotated. The American Law Division of de Congressionaw Research Service prepares de Constitution of de United States of America—Anawysis and Interpretation (popuwarwy known as de Constitution Annotated),[14] a continuouswy updated wegaw treatise dat expwains de U.S. Constitution as it has been interpreted by de U.S. Supreme Court.

Current Members of Congress and deir offices may access de CRS website (www.crs.gov) and CRS's Legiswative Information Service (LIS) website (www.congress.gov). The two sites are de most comprehensive and integrated sources of information regarding workings of de federaw government, and are arguabwy de best sources of information regarding de wegiswative process of de United States.[15]

These sites provide aww information necessary to become informed about any aspect of government. They awso have de information needed to keep up-to-de-minute on most wegiswation incwuding information from past biwws simiwar to de current wegiswation; historicaw information about de wegiswation; biographicaw data about de Members who introduced it; de abiwity to track de wegiswation as it moves drough committee hearings to de Fwoor; and winks to information about de wegiswation in de Congressionaw Record, Fwoor and committee scheduwe information, and de Federaw Register.[16]

Neider of dese websites is avaiwabwe to de pubwic. In order to prevent pubwic access to de websites, CRS has erected an ewaborate firewaww to keep de pubwic out. Taxpayers are onwy awwowed access to THOMAS (domas.woc.gov). In fact, when de pubwic tries to access de LIS, dey are automaticawwy forwarded to THOMAS widout warning.[15]

www.crs.gov. The CRS website provides CRS pubwications on current wegiswative issues, ewectronic briefing books, information on de wegiswative and budget processes, a searchabwe database of aww CRS products, and oder information about Congressionaw procedures and activities.

www.congress.gov. The LIS website is specificawwy designed to track wegiswation and wegiswative activity. According to de CRS, "The LIS ... provides biww summary and status, fuww text of wegiswation and pubwic waws, fuww text of committee reports, hearings, and oder documents, and de Congressionaw Record for de current and earwier Congresses. The system awso gives (and is searchabwe by) committee, sponsorship, and cosponsorship; identification of identicaw biwws; and oder information, uh-hah-hah-hah."[17] The LIS varies substantiawwy from de system which is avaiwabwe to de pubwic at de Library of Congress' THOMAS website (domas.woc.gov). In fact, CRS has a speciaw page detaiwing de enhanced capabiwities of de restricted LIS website over de pubwic THOMAS website.

The fowwowing is CRS's comparison of de LIS (www.congress.gov) wif THOMAS (domas.woc.gov):[18]

Service

Legiswative Information System

Thomas

Website

www.congress.gov

domas.woc.gov

Who Can Use It

Avaiwabwe to de pubwic. (Previouswy onwy avaiwabwe to Congress, incwuding state and district offices, and wegiswative support agencies. Some features wisted bewow may no wonger be avaiwabwe.)

Avaiwabwe to de pubwic.

Best Used For

Finding de most compwete wegiswative information for congressionaw staff or for a Member; obtaining information, using databases, and winking to pages dat are not avaiwabwe to de pubwic on THOMAS. Shouwd not be used for making winks from Member or committee home page (since de pubwic cannot access LIS).

Working wif constituents; making winks from Member or committee home pages; making printouts dat are to be sent to constituents.

Commerciaw Databases

Links to databases dat have been wicensed for use by House and Senate staff, such as Nationaw Journaw and de AP Newswire. Links from de status of a biww to Nationaw Journaw markups.

No winks to commerciaw databases.

CRS Reports

Links from Biww Summary & Status dispway to CRS reports rewated to a biww. Abiwity to search aww CRS reports via de CRS Home Page; dese products can be searched, dispwayed, and printed.

No CRS reports are avaiwabwe to de pubwic.

Restricted winks

Links to restricted Capitow Hiww Web sites such as de House Intranet, Senate Webster, and Senate amendment tracking system.

No winks to restricted Capitow Hiww Web sites.

Fwoor & Committee Scheduwe Information

Links to Capitow Hiww and outside sources of fwoor and committee scheduwe information, sewected to be of most use to congressionaw staff.

The most commonwy reqwested CRS product is de generaw congressionaw distribution reports, known as "CRS Reports". The purpose of a report is to cwearwy define de issue in de wegiswative context.[19] The types of CRS reports incwude Issue Briefs (IB), Research Memos (RM), and Reports, which appear in bof Short (RS) and Long (RL) formats.[20]

Over 700 new CRS reports are produced each year and made avaiwabwe to Congressionaws at www.crs.gov.[19] 566 new products were prepared in Fiscaw Year 2011.[21] Nearwy 7,800 are in existence as of de end of 2011.[21]

Oder dan a passing generic reference to "reports" in its statutory charter, CRS has no mandate for dese products.[22] They are created in de context of de overaww mission of CRS to provide research support to Congress.[7]

The reports may take many forms, incwuding powicy anawysis, economic studies, statisticaw reviews, and wegaw anawyses.[19]

The CRS has written:[25]
"CRS may incorporate preexisting materiaw in its written responses to congressionaw reqwests. Awdough such materiaw is often from pubwic domain sources, in certain instances de materiaw, appropriatewy credited, may be from copyrighted sources. To de extent dat de materiaw is copyrighted, CRS eider: obtains permission for de use; [Footnote: Awdough CRS obtains permission to reproduce certain copyrighted works, de permissions are generawwy based on wegiswative use and de expectation dat dissemination is wimited to Members of Congress.] considers its information-gadering function protected by de speech or debate cwause; or bewieves dat de use fawws under de 'fair use' doctrine of de Copyright Act as appwied in de context of de wegiswative process."

Prior to September 2018 CRS products were onwy made directwy avaiwabwe to members of Congress, Congressionaw committees, and CRS's sister agencies (CBO and GAO) drough de internaw CRS Web system. As of September 18f 2018 de officiaw US government website crsreports.congress.gov.